OoL digest — January 17th edition
Another big week in ool research with 11 papers published since last week. In astrobiology, Kraus presents a model of high-pressure melting curve for the iron – influencing dynamo-generated magnetospheres, an important component of habitability, Nixon presents the AURA-3D atmospheric retrieval framework for exoplanet transmission spectra, Salter characterizes the mass spectrometric fingerprints of microbial life, Sforna presents the first in-situ evidence of chlorophyll remnants in a billion-year-old multicellular algal microfossil and Steele analyzed the nanoscale mineralogy of the Mars meteorite ALH 84001. In biochemistry, Bromberg explored the patterns of evolution of enzymes responsible for biological redox reactions, Cowan discusses microbial trace gas chemotrophy as a metabolic strategy to support energy and carbon acquisition for microbial survival, Lu analyzes change in cell morphology of Escherichia coli exposed to a resource utilization regime mimicking a primordial environment, Márquez-Zacarías analyzes the evolution of cellular differentiation through the use of Boolean networks, and Steller analyzes how how dehydration/rehydration events can remodel dense lipid aggregates into thin-walled vesicles capable of RNA encapsulation even at acidic pHs. Finally, in planetary science Leong investigates how decreasing extents of Archean serpentinization contributed to the rise of an oxidized atmosphere.
Astrobiology
Measuring the melting curve of iron at super-Earth core conditions – Kraus et al. – Science
AURA-3D: A Three-dimensional Atmospheric Retrieval Framework for Exoplanet Transmission Spectra – Nixon et al. – preprint
Mass Spectrometric Fingerprints of Bacteria and Archaea for Life Detection on Icy Moons – Salter et al. – Astrobiology
Intracellular bound chlorophyll residues identify 1 Gyr-old fossils as eukaryotic algae – Sforna et al. – Nature Communications
Organic synthesis associated with serpentinization and carbonation on early Mars – Steele et al. – Science
Biochemistry
Quantifying structural relationships of metal-binding sites suggests origins of biological electron transfer – Bromberg et al. – Science Advances
Out of Thin Air? Astrobiology and Atmospheric Chemotrophy – Cowan et al. – Astrobiology
Primordial mimicry induces morphological change in Escherichia coli – Lu et al. – Communications Biology
Evolution of Cellular Differentiation: From Hypotheses to Models – Márquez-Zacarías et al. – Trends in Ecology & Evolution
Dehydration Enhances Prebiotic Lipid Remodeling and Vesicle Formation in Acidic Environments – Steller et al. – ACS Central Science
Planetary Science
Decreasing extents of Archean serpentinization contributed to the rise of an oxidized atmosphere – Leong et al. – Nature Communications